This invention relates to vessels for containing measurable contents. More specifically, this invention relates to a vessel having graduated indicia.
Vessels such as cups, bowls, spoons and the like which have a measuring capability are known. Such devices can be made from a variety of materials, including plastic, metal and glass. One of the most common measuring vessels found on the market today is a transparent measuring cup made of Pyrex(copyright) which is resistant to sudden changes in temperature to which it may be subjected during use.
The utility derived from a measuring vessel is related to the ease with which volumetric indicia on the measuring vessel""s wall may be read by a user. Of course, any suitable units of measurement may be used to indicate the level to which contents have risen within a measuring vessel.
Traditional measuring vessels have indicia marked upon the measuring vessel wall in a manner which sometimes makes the indicia difficult to read, depending upon how precise a measurement is needed, the materials from which the measuring vessel is manufactured and the physical condition of the user, for example. In the case of a measuring cup which is made from transparent or translucent material, e.g., Pyrex(copyright), the most precise way to measure the contents contained therein is to place the measuring cup upon a level surface, pour the contents to be measured into the measuring cup and then stoop down to the vertical level of the measuring cup to attempt to visually detect the bottom of a liquid meniscus or a level surface of solid contents. An alternative method of reading the level to which contents in a transparent or translucent measuring cup have risen is to lift the measuring cup to eye level and attempt to hold the measuring cup steady while visually detecting the volume. In either use, the observer is looking in a generally horizontal direction to detect the volume.
Prior art measuring cups that are opaque are more difficult to read than transparent or translucent measuring cups. In order to read the volume of contents held within an opaque measuring cup, a user must peer over the upper margin of the measuring cup to view, as closely as possible, the level to which contents have risen, either by stooping to the measuring cup""s level or by lifting the measuring cup to eye level.
While the above-described methods for determining the volume of contents in a measuring cup may seem simple enough for most users, these methods can prove to be difficult for others. Users with bad knees, a bad back, or arthritis, for example, may not only have substantial difficulty in stooping over to accurately read the volume of contents in a measuring cup placed on a level surface, but may also have just as much difficulty in lifting a measuring cup to eye level and holding the cup steady to read the volume of contents held therein. When precise measurement of the volume of contents within a measuring cup is critical to a task, the simple actions of bending over or lifting a measuring cup to eye level, which seem easy to some users, may become difficult and uncomfortable for others.
Measuring the volume of cooking ingredients using prior art measuring cups can also be frustrating. As mentioned above, it can be difficult for a user to stoop over to read the level of contents when placed on a level surface or when lifted to eye level. An unsteady hand not only makes the volume of contents difficult to determine when a measuring cup is lifted to eye level, but a user may spill contents or even drop the measuring cup when attempting to do so.
Measuring vessels are not limited in their utility to the kitchen, of course. They may also be used for measuring proper ratios of solutions, e.g., antifreeze, the precise measurement of which is critical to its application and simplicity of determining a precise volume is necessary. Other common household solutions can be dangerous, e.g., toxic or caustic, and when a measuring vessel is filled with these solutions, the possibility of spilling them within the proximity of a child or a pet greatly increases when a measuring vessel must be raised to eye level to determine the volume of its contents.
It is an object of the present invention to simplify the way in which a person can accurately determine the volume of material held in a vessel.
It is another object of the invention to improve a measuring vessel to make it more conducive to a simple and accurate volume determination.
The present invention achieves the above-stated objectives by including with a vessel at least one sloped ramp having an upwardly directed surface having indicia which are readily observable by an observer looking downwardly toward the open end of the vessel.
The structure simplifies volume determination because there is no need for the observer to move relative to the vessel in order to look in a horizontal direction at the vessel indicia. Thus, the possibility of spilling is reduced. Also, since the ramp preferably rises continuously and gradually from the bottom of the vessel, a user who is filling the vessel from above can actually see the volume indicia on the upwardly directed surface of the ramp while the vessel is being filled, looking along the same line of sight generally used during filling. These advantages result from the ability to visually determine the volume of the contents of the vessel by simply looking into the open upper end, and the gradual slope of the ramp.
According to a first preferred embodiment of the invention, a cup has wall structure including a bottom wall and an encircling vertical side wall, so that the cup is cylindrical in shape with an open upper end. Inside the cup, at least one ramp slopes continuously upward from the bottom wall toward the open upper end. The ramp includes an upwardly directed surface bearing printed volume indicia viewable through the open upper end to visually determine the volume of cup contents. Preferably the cup has two ramps formed integrally along the side wall, with one bearing standard English units of measurement and the other bearing metric units. The two ramps have oppositely located bottom ends and oppositely located top ends. The cup also has a handle and a spout, with the handle located adjacent one ramp and the spout located adjacent another.
In a second embodiment, the side wall is sloped somewhat, rather than vertical. The cup includes two integral, oppositely located ramps with adjacently located bottom ends and adjacently located top ends. The top ends feed toward the spout, and again, one ramp bears indicia in standard English units and the other bears metric indicia.
In another embodiment, the handle is cantilevered from the side wall and has a vertical grip portion terminating at a distal end in the plane of the bottom wall to provide additional self-support, and covered with an elastomeric grip sheath.
With any embodiment, the cup can be formed of any suitable material and via any suitable process, although transparent and moldable material is preferred and manufactured using a molding process is also preferred.
Certain ones of these and other features may be attained by providing a vessel comprising: a wall structure defining a cavity with an open upper end for receiving contents having a measurable volume, a continuous ramp extending upwardly from adjacent to a lower end of the wall structure, and indicia positioned on the ramp so as to be observable by a user looking downwardly toward the open upper end and providing a readily observable indication of the volume of the contents of the vessel.